Tie-plate.



I i 12f 0g F. A. PIPER.

TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1907. 902,- 46. Patented 0015.27, 1908.

WITNESSES J INVE/VTUH A TTOHNEYS PATENT OFIQE.

FRANK A. PIPER, OF REDLANDS,

CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES M.

WHITTEMORE, OF REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA.

TIE -PLATE Application filed. June 13,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. PIPER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and Improved T iePlate, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to railway tie plates, and more particularly tothat class of tie plates which serves to support rails upon the tie andat the same time to prevent the spreading of the rails.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, strong andinexpensive tie plate, formed preferably from sheet metal, and having atthe ends shoulders to engage the outer edges of the rail bases.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a tie plate havingrail-engaging shoulders near the ends, openings for the passage ofspikes at both sides of the rail, and laterally-disposed flangesconstituting spurs to be forced into the tie to secure the tie platethereupon.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tie plate havinga portion folded upon itself at the end, to constitute a shoulder forengaging with the outer edge of the rail base, and having an openingthrough the plate at the shoulder for the passage of a spike to engagethe rail whereby the spike at the outer edge engages a double thicknessof metal.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts tobe more particularly described hereinafter and fully set forth in theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 shows. asection of track with my tie plate applied thereto; Fig. 2 is atransverse section of the same; Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing theend of the tie plate; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the underside of the end of a tie plate; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of theend of a modified form of tie plate.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents a cross-tie,of wood, of the usual kind employed in railway track construction.Mounted upon each cross-tie 1 Patented Oct. 27', 1908.

1907. Serial No. 378,766,

is a tie-plate of my invention, having an elon gated body portion 2extending substantially from one track-rail 3 to the opposite paralleltrack-rail. Near the ends, the tieplate is arranged under the trackrails and supports the same. The end or bearing portions 4 of thetie-plate are laterally extended to present a wider bearing surface forthe rail base. The ends of the tie-plate are folded back upon the bodyto form shoulders 5, for engaging the outer edges of the rail bases toprevent outward movement of the rails upon the tie-plate. Openings 6 areformed in the tie-plate near the ends for the passage of the spikes 11,used ordinarily for holding the track-rails in position, and serving tohold the rails upon the tie-plates against upward displacement. Theinner edges of the openings 6 are flush with the inner edge of theshoulder, the openings being arranged underneath the shoulder. Eachshoulder 5 has at the inner edge, recesses 7 registering with theopenings 6 of the tie-plate. In this way the opening through thetie-plate has walls of double thickness at the sides and at the outerface; consequently, the spike has a surface of double width to bearagainst in resisting the outward movement of the rail, and thereby thedanger of shearing off the spikes-due to lateral pressure upon therailis minimized. The extended portions 4 of each tie plate have furtherspike openings 8 therethrough, located inwardly from the shoulder 5. Theopenings 8 receive the spikes 12, to engage the inner edge of the railbase and hold the rail against inward lateral movement.

The extended portions 4 of the tie plates serve as bearing members forthe rails, and are fashioned by suitably bending or folding the blanksfrom which the tie plates are made. In the blanks each of the extendedortions 4 has at the opposite lateral edges, ,fiat V-shaped indentations9. The side edges of the indentations 9 are downwardly disposed to formspurs 10, the edges of which are preferably sharpened. The spurs 10 havesharp apeXes 13 and are formed by bending the blank along lines runningfrom the'apeXes 9 of the recesses to points 141 which represent thecorners of the bearing ortions when the tie plate is completed. Thelines of plicature from the apexes of the l indentations to the points14 run somewhat inwardly toward the center of the tie plate whereby theinclination of the edges of the spurs is increased as is shown mostclearly in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be understood that the points 14 lieinwardly from the corners 13 of the blank which subsequently become theapeXes of the spurs. The spurs 10 adjacent to the outer ends of the tieplate include the folded over part constituting the shoulder, wherebythese outer spurs are stiffened and strengthened.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modified form of tie plate, in which the lateraledges are not indented and in which there is but a single spur at eachedge, formed by bending over a substantially rectangular portion of theplate. I prefer the mutually inclined spurs at each edge, as shown inthe form illustrated in the other figures of the drawing, as these spursmore strongly resist lateral pressure upon the tie-plate.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A tie-plate having an end folded upon itself toform a shoulder to engage the outer edge of the rail base, an openinglocated inwardly from said shoulder for the passage of a spike to engagethe inner edge of the rail base, and a laterally located and downwardlydisposed portion including a part of said folded end and constituting aspur for engaging a tie.

2. A tie-plate having an end folded upon itself to form a shoulder toengage the outer edge of the rail base and having an openingtherethrough under said folded portion to re ceive a spike, said foldedportion having a recess registering with said opening, whereby theopening through the tie-plate has a face of double thickness at theouter edge, and a laterally located and downwardly disposed portionincluding a part of said folded end and constituting a spur for engaginga tie.

3. A tie-plate having an end folded upon itself to form a shoulder toengage the outer edge of the rail base, an opening located inwardly ofsaid shoulder for the passage of a spike to engage the inner edge of therail base, and an opening having the inner edge flush with the inneredge of said shoulder, for the passage of a spike to engage the outeredge of the rail base, said shoulder having a recess at the inner edgeregistering with said open ing under said shoulder, and a laterally located and downwardly disposed portion including a part of said foldedend and constituting a spur for engaging a tie.

4. A tie-plate having an end folded upon itself to form a shoulder toengage the outer edge of the rail base, and presenting an indentation ata lateral edge, said tie-plate being laterally located and downwardlydispos'ed adjacent to said indentation and including a part of saidfolded end to form spurs to engage a tie.

5. A tie-plate having an end folded upon itself to form a shoulder toengage the outer edge of the rail base, and presenting projections atthe lateral edges, said tie plate having portions adjacent tosaid'projections and including a part of said folded end downwardlydisposed to constitute spurs to engage a tie, the line of the bend ofeach downwardly disposed portion being at an angle with the line of thebend of the adjacent portion.

6. A tie-plate having an end folded upon itself to form a shoulder toengage the outer edge of the rail base, an opening located inwardly fromsaid shoulder for the passage of a spike to engage the inner edge of therail base, an opening having the inner edge flush with the inner edge ofsaid shoulder, said shoulder having a recess registering with saidopening adjacent to said shoulder, and projections at the lateral edgesof said tie plate, the portions of said tie-plate adjacent to saidprojections and including parts of said folded end being downwardlydisposed to constitute spurs to engage a railway tie, the spurs at eachlateral edge being mutually inclined.

7. A tie plate, comprising a body adapted to be arranged upon a tie andto extend from rail to rail of a track, and bearing portions rigid withsaid body and adapted to be arranged under the rails, said bearingportions having the ends folded upon themselves to form shoulders toengage the outer edges of the rail bases, and having openings locatedinwardly from said shoulders for the passage of spikes which engage theinner edges of the rail bases, said bearing portions having laterallylocated and downwardly disposed parts each including a part of saidfolded ends and each constituting a spur for engaging a tie.

8. A tie plate, comprising a body adapted to be arranged upon a tie andto extend from rail to rail of a track, and bearing portions integralwith said body and adapted to be arranged under the rails, said bearingportions having the ends folded upon themselves to form shoulders whichengage the outer edges of the rail bases, openings located inwardly fromsaid shoulders for the passage of spikes which engage the inner edges ofthe rail bases, and laterally located and downwardly disposed portionsincluding parts of said folded ends and constituting spurs for engaginga tie.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK A. PIPER.

Witnesses:

W. O. WmTTEMoRE, W. E. WooLLIsoRor'r.

